Reading and discussion of selected works of major importance in interdisciplinary international studies. Restricted to majors in International Studies.
The impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs), in particular the Internet, on the development, maintenance, and success of political mobilization is widely documented. People have been paying attention to the potential of ICTs to facilitate protest through “swarming” since journalists began covering the ability of star-struck students to suddenly appear wherever Prince William was while he was a student at St. Andrew’s University. However, the “Arab Spring” has focused the entire world’s attention on the potential of the Internet and other information technology to create and sustain prolonged challenges to state power. This course will engage questions about the Internet's prospects and limitations to facilitate political mobilization and creating political change.
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